Written Answers Wednesday 3 August 2007

Scottish Executive

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for a methadone prescription in each NHS board area.

Fergus Ewing: Specific information on average waiting times for methadone prescriptions is not held centrally.

  A national waiting times information framework was implemented in April 2004, to enable alcohol and drug action teams (ADATs) and local services to monitor waiting times for drug treatment and care in their local areas.

  Table 1 presents information, by ADAT, on the number of clients by length of time waited for clients who have been offered an appointment date for prescribed drug treatment for the period January to March 2007.

  Table 2 presents information, by ADAT, on the number of clients by length of time waited for clients who are still waiting for an appointment date for prescribed drug treatment for the period January to March 2007.

  The waiting times framework does not include information on methadone prescribed by General Practitioners.

  Table 1: Drug Treatment Waiting Times - time between date care plan is agreed/decision on treatment is made and date offered for prescribed drug treatment1; clients offered an appointment, Jan-Mar 2007

  Number of Clients Offered an Appointment Date2

  

Drug Action Team
< 7 Days
8-14 Days
15-21 Days
22-28 Days
5-8 Weeks
9-12 Weeks
13-26 Weeks
27-52 Weeks
52+ Weeks
Total


Aberdeen City
27
3
3
0
2
0
0
0
0
35


Aberdeenshire
25
9
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
38


Angus
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4


Argyll and Clyde
62
9
6
1
4
3
1
0
0
86


Ayrshire and Arran3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Borders
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5


Dumfries and Galloway
12
2
1
1
9
2
2
0
0
29


Dundee City
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh City
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3


Fife
9
3
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
16


Forth Valley
35
4
1
3
7
8
12
0
0
70


Glasgow
108
39
19
4
9
0
0
0
0
179


Highland
16
3
21
1
4
0
1
0
0
46


Lanarkshire
12
7
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
20


Midlothian
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Moray
9
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
10


Orkney3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland
2
1
2
2
2
0
0
0
0
9


West Lothian
14
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
16


Western Isles
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Scotland4
345
82
60
15
37
13
16
0
0
568



  Source: National Drug Treatment Waiting Times Information Framework.

  Notes:

  1. Prescribed drug treatment - the prescribing of a substitute drug, (e.g. methadone, lofexidine, subutex) for facilitating the complete cessation of the use of illicit drugs, controlling withdrawal symptoms or reducing illicit drug use.

  2. Time between date care plan is agreed/decision on treatment is made/date client ready for treatment and the first appointment date offered for prescribed drug treatment (for those offered an intervention date during the reporting period).

  3. Data from Ayrshire & Arran and Orkney are unavailable for this quarter.

  4. Scotland figure excludes Ayrshire & Arran and Orkney data.

  Table 2: Drug Treatment Waiting Times - time between date care plan is agreed/ decision on treatment is made and date offered for prescribed drug treatment1; clients still waiting for an appointment, Jan-Mar 2007.

  Number of Clients Still Waiting for an Appointment Date as at 31 March 20072

  

Drug Action Team
< 7 Days
8-14 Days
15-21 Days
22-28 Days
5-8 Weeks
9-12 Weeks
13-26 Weeks
27-52 Weeks
52+ Weeks
Total


Aberdeen City
1
0
0
0
1
4
2
11
6
25


Aberdeenshire
3
3
0
2
0
0
0
0
1
9


Angus
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Argyll and Clyde
4
2
1
3
7
5
11
6
5
44


Ayrshire and Arran3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Borders
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
1
4
1
4
1
2
0
0
0
13


Dundee City
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh City
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
21
21


Fife
0
0
2
0
0
0
23
0
0
25


Forth Valley
1
2
2
2
10
14
17
30
57
135


Glasgow
3
3
5
2
2
1
11
10
54
91


Highland
1
1
2
0
0
1
0
0
0
5


Lanarkshire
2
1
0
0
0
3
5
0
14
25


Midlothian
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Moray
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Orkney3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
0
0
3


Shetland
2
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
6


West Lothian
5
3
2
1
2
6
15
8
2
44


Western Isles
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Scotland4
23
21
15
14
24
38
85
66
160
446



  Source: National Drug Treatment Waiting Times Information Framework.

  Notes:

  1. Prescribed drug treatment - the prescribing of a substitute drug, (e.g. methadone, lofexidine, subutex) for facilitating the complete cessation of the use of illicit drugs, controlling withdrawal symptoms or reducing illicit drug use.

  2. Time between date care plan is agreed/decision on treatment is made/date client ready for treatment and the end of the reporting period (for those still waiting to be offered an intervention date).

  3. Data from Ayrshire and Arran and Orkney are unavailable for this quarter.

  4. Scotland figure excludes Ayrshire and Arran and Orkney data.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why no more than one-third of the resources allocated to drug and alcohol detoxification and rehabilitation programmes is spent on alcohol addiction, given the number of individuals and families affected by alcohol problems.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards receive a specific allocation to help provide alcohol treatment services. However, funding for these services could also be made available from the general allocation received by boards for the provision of services to their local communities.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1464 by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 July 2007, why information on waiting times for alcohol detoxification and rehabilitation is not held centrally and what action will be taken to ensure that this information is available in future.

Nicola Sturgeon: The varied range of alcohol detoxification and rehabilitation services and the different ways of accessing these services has meant it is not possible to collect waiting time information.

  We will give further consideration to the feasibility of collecting such information in the future.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many referrals there were to residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board and identifying each facility.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government does not hold complete information in the form requested. Some information on the number of referrals to residential drug and alcohol rehabilitations facilities is contained within alcohol and drug action team corporate action plans. These can be obtained from the following website:  http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/dat/cap/dat.htm .

Junior Doctors

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of difficulties caused to junior doctors seeking training posts as a result of recent changes to the General Medical Council recruitment process and following the commitment by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing to extend the contracts of those failing to find training posts by the end of 1 August 2007, it will similarly extend the contracts of any junior doctors who have managed to obtain training posts but have a gap between the end of their current contracts and the beginning of their new jobs and no income for that period.

Nicola Sturgeon: The General Medical Council is not responsible for recruitment to UK training posts. I can also confirm that continuity of employment will be offered to Scottish based doctors who find themselves in the situation as described.

Junior Doctors

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken or plans to undertake an investigation of the operation, in Scotland, of the recruitment and interview process of the General Medical Council since the introduction of changes that led to a breakdown in communication systems and doctors failing to find training posts.

Nicola Sturgeon: I provided an update to the Health and Sport Committee on 27 June 2007. This provides a full account of the action being taken to support doctors who have failed to secure a training post as well as a commitment to future action. Full details can be accessed using the following link: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/hs/or-07/he07-0201.htm .

Sectarianism

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what priority it places on tackling sectarianism.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to tackle sectarianism in communities.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue taking the action on sectarianism recommended by the previous administration in Sectarianism: Action Plan on Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland, published in January 2006.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Executive takes all forms of religious bigotry extremely seriously and is committed to continuing to drive the anti-sectarian agenda forward. By building on the achievements which have already been delivered through initiatives like the Action Plan on Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland; engaging with all faith communities; and celebrating the diversity of modern Scotland, we will ensure that a holistic approach is taken to meet the needs of faith groups at both government and community level.